Hello there
In December 2005, Emily began her first job at Vanguard, answering phone calls from customers with questions about their 401(k) plans. She and the others in the group, most in their 20s, didn't have much time to chat. But whenever a short break was possible, she saw coworker Ben's brown-haired head pop up over the wall that separated their cubicles.
These brief, twice-a-day visits led Emily to suspect Ben was interested in her. But Emily was torn: She already liked Ben, but she did not want to date anyone at work. To top off the list of potential complications, they lived in the same West Chester apartment complex.
One Wednesday morning, Ben, who grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, came to Emily's cube with a question. As Emily already knew, Wednesdays were dinner-and-drinks night for Ben and his roommate, Matt. But Matt had other plans that night. Would Emily like to take part in the Wednesday tradition?
No one mentioned the word "date." But Ben still wanted to get together even after Emily told him she had to teach a modern dance class after work and would not be able to meet him until 9. And the minute Emily said yes, she began to worry about how presentable she would look after three hours of dancing.
Dance clothes and all, the dinner went very well. About two weeks later, Ben jokingly asked Emily if she would like to see his apartment - which, of course, was exactly like hers. She went for the tour, and as he walked her to the building next door to her apartment, he kissed her.
How does forever sound?
On April 2, 2009, Emily planned an early celebration of Ben's 26th birthday. She took half a day off so she could let herself into his apartment and prepare his favorite meal.
At lunchtime, Ben called Emily to tell her he would be there to let her in. He was sick and did not go to work. Emily wondered if this sudden sickness was a ruse. Had Ben taken a vacation day to prepare a proposal? But when she got to the apartment, Emily found Ben in his pajamas, looking and sounding sick, as he'd said.
Emily had to leave for about an hour to go to her piano lesson. When she got back, she saw that Ben had put on a nice shirt and a pair of jeans, but he still looked like he felt bad. Emily said they could celebrate another day, but Ben insisted he felt fine. "I don't know how he managed to eat anything," Emily said. But he did. And he opened his presents, and then she went to her piano, which she kept at his place.
Ben sat next to Emily as she played David Bowie's "Life on Mars." When the music stopped, Ben asked, "Do you think we could spend all of my birthdays together?"
Emily turned to him to say yes, not realizing his question was a proposal - until she saw the ring in his hand.
Ben really was quite ill that day. But the ring had arrived that morning. And he hoped he and Emily could celebrate their engagement in person with his parents, Claudia and Tom, who were coming from Maine two days later. He wasn't about to let the flu stop him. Ben ate crackers as his parents and fiancee drank champagne.
It was so them
Ben and Emily's rehearsal barbecue featured bocce ball and other lawn games. Their reception was held at the People's Light and Theater, and their 125 guests were encouraged to dress comfortably.
Ben and the groomsmen, however, wore tuxes. "We all wear suits to work everyday," he told Emily. "I want this to be special." Ben wore a bow tie.
In addition to providing relationship management for Vanguard's nonprofit 401(k) clients, Emily, who is now 28, is a professional dancer with Melange Contemporary Dance Company in Pottstown. A friend who is a choreographer created a bridal party dance. Ben, who is now 27 and manages the 401(k) phone group, was willing to dance along to make his bride happy.
Right after they were introduced, Ben and Emily danced to Ray LaMontagne's "You're the Best Thing," but a minute and a half in, a screech cut through the music and Crystal Waters' "100 Percent Pure Love" began to play. That's when the bridal party joined in.
This was a surprise
The Wednesday before her Saturday wedding, the bride went to the shop where she purchased her dress and discovered the alterations were wrong. "It was ruined," she said. "It didn't fit me at all, and it was so oddly done. There were strings hanging off of it." The shop told her to come back in an hour and it would be fixed but it wasn't. She took the dress home. Her sister, Jo, and her mom, Mimi, had the same reaction: "You can't wear that!"
Late that afternoon, Emily reached La Bella Moda, the Conshohocken wedding shop where she had found the bridesmaids' dresses. They told her to come in for their first appointment at 11 a.m. Thursday. By 3 p.m., all was well. "It was a miracle!" Emily said.
Awestruck
Emily had never seen Ben truly get emotional until he said his vows. "He was holding my hands, and I was looking in his eyes, and they were teary," she said. "It was amazing."
Discretionary spending
A bargain: Emily designed her own invitations online with a company that makes marketing materials for businesses. She had to get creative: The business card format became tags for welcome bags and favors, and postcards became save-the-dates. Her entire stationery purchase, including invitations, envelopes, thank-you notes, was $300. "It was hard, but it was fun," Emily said.
The splurge: The couple, who now live in West Chester, spent 12 days in Puerto Vallarta. "We skimped on other things so we could afford to do that," Emily said.
A shout-out
When Emily was a child, her dad, Hank, was diagnosed with cancer. He beat it, and it changed his life. Hank was always a happy person, Emily said, but his near-miss left him appreciating life even more. Part of that appreciation has been enjoying other people's happiness. For example, for about a decade, Hank has been cutting out the "Love" column and posting it on the fridge to share with others. We think he'll especially like this one.
Behind the Scenes
Officiant
The Rev. Brian Kean of St. Joseph Church, Downingtown
Venues
St. Joseph Church; The Farmhouse at the People's Light and Theatre Company, Malvern
Catering
Shane Magee of The Farmhouse
Photography
Chris Kennedy of Bella Pictures
Videography
TLJ Studios, Norristown
Music
DJ Scott Pomante of Silver Sound DJs, Philadelphia
Dress
The bride's dress was rescued by La Bella Moda in Conshohocken.
Flowers
Judy Shaw of Flowers by the Greenery, West Chester
Invitations
Vistaprint.comEndText
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